After many trys over several years, I finally gave up on Don Juan. It would die back to the ground no matter what winter protection I tried. If it did survive it would slowly lose vigor and fail to make it the second year. Dublin Bay, although not as fragrant, is my choice for a red climber.

Kate, Thanks for telling me about Red Eden. When I talked with Pat Henry at RU about it, she assured me that she never had a problem with it balling, though I know I've read about it doing this with a lot of ppl. It is just one I HAD to try out for myself. I also read that you can (if you're willing, that is, to bother) pull the bottom petal down and kinda coax the bloom open, if you're having trouble with it. I've read the same about Abbaye de Cluny...maybe if it works for Red Eden, I'll try Abbaye as well. We'll see. Some of those Romantica roses I just swoon over, and have to try out to find out if I can or can't grow them. Rouge Royale has a bad reputation sometimes....but we got it at RU a few years ago, and it's doing just wonderfully for us. Kate and mikeber, I do know that our local rose garden grows Don Juan, as does a former neighbor (who always raved about it, though we never saw it in person). I will have to go see how it does in the city garden though, because I have never really paid much attention to climbers on our 1-2 annual motorcycle trips there. As I said, I am aware that neither of these "climbers" will get all that tall here, because they all start out so short in April, but I'm ok with that. Thanks, everyone. :0) Phyl

Cl Crimson Glory. It is a climbing HT from 1925, before they took all of the fragrance and disease resistance out of the HTs. Lovely deep red (fades towards purple), romantic flower shape, and amazingly strong "old rose" fragrance. I have one growing up a large arch with Sombreuil (and a purple clematis), and they look great together. Jackie

Yes, MizG, Don Juans have a heavy, sweet, candy-like scent to me. Not at all a spice scent like some roses. I had one at my last house that was a tad darker red than the one that was in this yard when we moved here 3 years ago. But it's a Don Juan, I'm certain. :)